Our entertainment law practice frequently involves publicity rights, which is the right to control the commercial use of one’s name, voice, likeness, signature, and life story. We provide strategic counsel on the development of clients’ rights regarding the use of their personas, including names, images, photographs, voices, signatures, and other aspects of their identities, and provide guidance on how to protect and enforce such rights. This work has included licensing rights for the Cesar E. Chavez rose, creating guidelines for appropriate use of a well-known educator/author’s name, voice and likeness by her publishers, advising subjects in Apple’s “Think Different” campaign, and protecting some 9/11 victims’ identities from commercial exploitation.
This firm successfully litigated a copyright, trademark and publicity rights action by the estates of music legends Jerry Garcia, John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Barry White and Miles Davis against a national restaurant franchisor. Documentary Films for which the firm has served as a legal advisor include Thoth (Academy Award winning short), Beyond Conviction, and Semper Fi: Always Faithful.